This is a hands-on Senior Finance Manager role within a fast-growing finance team at
an FCA-regulated payments business. Reporting to the Financial Controller and leading
a team of two, you will own the monthly close and the integrity of the balance sheet and
take day-to-day responsibility for how the finance team runs.
A significant part of this role is being involved in building the processes that do not exist
yet and automating the ones that still rely on manual effort.
This suits a fully qualified accountant who has already owned a month-end close in their
own right and wants to step up into genuine team leadership - someone comfortable in
the detail, working at pace, in a business whose volumes and complexity are growing
quickly.
Key responsibilities
Month-end close and management reporting
- Own the month-end timetable end to end, maintaining a disciplined and efficient close as transaction volumes and complexity grow
- Prepare and review the monthly management accounts pack, ready for review by the Financial Controller and Finance Director
- Review the journals, accruals, prepayments and reconciliations prepared by the team, taking responsibility for the accuracy of what is issued
- Take full ownership of balance sheet integrity, ensuring accounts are reconciled monthly, reconciling items are resolved promptly and appropriate review controls are maintained
- Work closely with our client funds and reconciliations team, ensuring the positions they produce are reflected correctly and promptly in the ledger
Process build, systems and controls
- Take ownership of finance processes across the transactional cycle - purchase ledger, sales ledger, expenses and payroll journals - ensuring controls are documented and consistently applied
- Design and implement new processes for activities the business has not had to account for before, getting them right at the point of introduction rather than retrofitting them later
- Identify and remove manual effort, making the case for change where a process works today but will not scale
- Embed scalable financial controls as the business grows, ensuring key processes are appropriately documented, evidenced and reviewable
Supporting the wider finance function
- Support the Financial Controller on VAT, year-end and audit by providing accurate, reconciled figures and supporting schedules to deadline
- As you establish yourself in the role, we expect the remit to broaden, with increasing ownership of areas such as VAT, year-end, audit and other technical accounting matters
- Contribute actuals, cost driver insight and practical input to budgeting and forecasting
- Escalate technical and judgement-based issues promptly, with a clear recommendation rather than an open question
Team leadership and development
- Line manage a Management Accountant and an Assistant Management Accountant, review their output, set the standard for quality, and act as the first point of technical escalation before matters reach the Financial Controller
- Coach and develop the team, supporting professional study and creating opportunities for them to take on more
Skills - must haves
- Fully qualified accountant (ACA, ACCA or CIMA) with a strong technical accounting foundation
- Demonstrable ownership of a month-end close and a management accounts pack in their own right, not solely preparing components of someone else's
- Strong balance sheet discipline, with real experience owning reconciliations and driving breaks to resolution
- Line management experience, or clear readiness for it - able to review others work
- Experience in a high-volume transactional environment, comfortable working with large data sets and reconciling between systems
- Strong Excel skills and confidence with cloud accounting systems
- Process-minded and hands-on - comfortable getting into the detail, identifying processes that will not scale, and implementing practical solutions rather than simply highlighting problems
Skills - nice to have
- Payments, fintech or other FCA-regulated financial services experience
- Hands-on involvement in systems implementation and change
What We Offer
- A genuinely developmental Senior Finance Manager role - you'll take ownership of the day-to-day finance operation from the outset, with the opportunity to broaden your remit into technical accounting and other areas as the business scales
- A chance to shape the future of payments at a high-growth fintech
- Hybrid working from our Manchester office and flexible hours
- Meaningful equity options
- 25 days holiday + bank holidays
- Regular team socials and offsites
- A fast-paced working environment with genuine responsibility and autonomy
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Senior Finance Manager in Manchester employer: Ryft
At Ryft, we pride ourselves on being a dynamic fintech start-up that fosters a culture of innovation and collaboration. As a Fraud & Risk Manager, you'll not only lead critical fraud strategies but also have the opportunity to shape a growing team in a fast-paced environment where your contributions directly impact our success. With a commitment to employee development and a supportive work culture, Ryft offers a unique chance to thrive in the heart of the payments industry while enjoying the benefits of a flexible and engaging workplace.
